11 Oct Men At Higher Risk of Severe Pneumonia
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Annabelle de St. Maurice MD, MPH
Pediatric Infectious Disease Fellow
Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital
Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Dr. de St. Maurice: Susceptibility to certain infectious diseases appears to vary by gender. For example, males may be at increased risk of certain infections in childhood, including lower respiratory tract infections such as RSV, however females may have more severe infections, such as influenza, during pregnancy. Some early studies have suggested that males may be at increased risk of pneumococcal infections but this has not been confirmed. Furthermore, whether those potential gender differences remain after introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines is unknown.
Invasive pneumococcal disease, which includes meningitis, bacteremic pneumonia and bacteremia/septicemia, is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States in children and adults. The 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) and the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) led to declines in invasive pneumococcal disease rates as well as eliminated racial disparities in regards to invasive pneumococcal disease rates. Our study sought to identify potential gender differences in the incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease, and to determine the impact of vaccines on gender differences in the susceptibility to these diseases.
We conducted a large study that used data from a population-based surveillance system of invasive pneumococcal diseases in Tennessee. This is part of a large CDC funded network of surveillance sites for these diseases. For our study, we identified patients with laboratory-confirmed invasive pneumococcal disease, and calculated the incidence of invasive pneumococcal diseases from 1998-2013 by gender. We also stratified the calculations by age groups and race, both well-known factors that affect the occurrence of invasive pneumococcal disease.
Our study found that males had generally higher rates of invasive pneumococcal disease than females across age groups, regardless of race. Although introduction of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccines led to a significant decrease in invasive pneumococcal disease rates, males continued to have higher rates than females in several age groups.
Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Dr. de St. Maurice: It is important to appreciate that males are at higher risk of invasive pneumococcal diseases than females. This should trigger discussion of preventative actions, including making sure subjects are up to date with their recommended vaccines.
Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Dr. de St. Maurice: Further research will be necessary to understand the biological processes underlying these gender differences in the risk of invasive pneumococcal disease.
Citation: Presented at IDWeek 2015
Gender Differences in Invasive Pneumococcal Disease Rates
Oral Abstract Session: Bacterial Diseases Thursday, October 8, 2015: 8:30 AM
[wysija_form id=”5″]
Annabelle de St. Maurice MD, MPH (2015). Men At Higher Risk of Severe Pneumonia MedicalResearch.com
Last Updated on October 12, 2015 by Marie Benz MD FAAD